Today in Tribe History: March 4, 2002

Bad news for the Indians out of their Spring Training site in Winter Haven, Florida, as center fielder Alex Escobar will need reconstructive knee surgery after crashing into the outfield wall.

Escobar tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee as well as spraining his medial collateral ligament after running into the outfield wall making a catch of a fly ball by Pittsburgh’s Rob Mackowiak in an exhibition game.

The 23-year-old outfield prospect was one of the key acquisitions in the Roberto Alomar trade with the New York Mets less than three months prior. He was 5-for-10 with a pair of walks and two steals in his first five games of the spring. He would never become the talent he was hoped to be, as he played just 74 games in Cleveland over the next two seasons, hitting six home runs and batting .235 before he was claimed off of waivers by the Chicago White Sox. He would return to the Majors for 33 more games with the Washington Nationals in 2006 in his last hoorah in the MLB.